The Benjamin Legacy

There has been a lot of interest in the Benjamin Legacy 1000. Thanks to Crosman, I have a sample, and I’ll give you my report today. I have the Legacy 1000X kit that comes with a 4x scope and mounts, so I installed it on the rifle right away.

General appearance and feelThe Legacy is light and small – Gamo Shadow 1000-sized, but the proportions of the stock are just right for an adult. The stock is a laminate of what appears to be beech. The stain is very even, and the laminations hardly show. The dark recoil pad has been expertly fitted. The profiling of the cheekpiece is vague, but I must comment that the pistol grip is one of the nicest I have felt in a long time! With a slight palm swell, it feels just right to me! Benjamin’s laser-cut checkering is very flat and more for decoration than to help with holding the stock.

The metal surface on the barrel is the roughest I’ve ever seen on an airgun, but the spring tube is smoother. The front fiberoptic sight is bright, while the two red dots in the rear sight are small and dark. Since I used the scope all the time, this was not an issue.

PowerplantThe rifle cocks as easily as the ad says (28 lbs.), though it’s a little stiff when new. I was skeptical about the power until I shot over the Chrony Alpha and saw the numbers for myself. After some initial dieseling, Crosman Premier 7.9-grain pellets averaged 902 f.p.s., 10.6-grain Beeman Kodiaks averaged 776 f.p.s., Remington pointed pellets (7.8 grains as weighed) averaged 921 f.p.s. and JSB Exact 10.1-grain pellets (as weighed) averaged 767 f.p.s. That’s an energy range of 13.20 to 14.70 foot-pounds. One thousand f.p.s. velocities would be easily obtained with lightweight pellets, and I think the rifle will improve with a long break-in.

Trigger and safetyThe trigger looks, acts and feels like a Gamo trigger. The length of the second stage pull is adjustable and the gun came out of the box with all the first stage adjusted out. The single stage letoff was heavy but even.

To its credit, the safety is manual. When the rifle is cocked, you can fire it without another action. To apply the safety, pull it back toward the trigger. It can be applied and released at any time, regardless of whether the gun is cocked. The rifle does have an anti-beartrap feature that precludes uncocking. So, if you cock it, you have to shoot it.

AccuracyThe Legacy has the potential for good accuracy. I shot inch-sized 5-shot groups at 25 yards. For some reason, they opened up to 2.5″ at 40 yards. I think that was due to the low magnification of the scope, more than the rifle. With greater aiming precision, I see no reason why this rifle couldn’t shoot 1.5″ groups at 40 and even 50 yards. It certainly has the power to reach that far. The most accurate pellets were Beeman Kodiaks and JSB Exacts (heavy).

My brief test shows the Benjamin Legacy to be a surprisingly good air rifle. It’s available only in .177, which is a shame because it also has the power to be a .22. However, the .177 is just fine.

59 thoughts on “The Benjamin Legacy”

Great post BBGood info on an air rifle in my price range. Do you know how the Quest 1000x and Winchester 1000x stack up. I’m lookind for a budget gun for plinking. By the way loved the high speed photo of the pellet exiting the barrel. Can we expect to see more shots like this maybe some impacts in your next pellet profile.

I will do a report on spring life, based on the data in the R1 book. It’s the only data I know of where a test was performed on a mainspring being cocked for a long time.

As for how the Legacy compares to the Quest and the Winchester, I don’t know. The Winchester is made in Turkey and none of the spring guns I have tyested from that country have done very well. The Quest is very inexpensive, so I don’t know how it would compare to the Legacy.

I will be looking at the Genesis next. The Quest and Winchester may have to wait until the fall.

I don’t think Crosman should be messing with the Benjamin product line and name. Benjamin has a wonderful reputation, which could be lost with one crappy product from Crosman. In my opinion they should keep their product lines very seperate. Just my opinion.

Ya just checked they actually do have it available in .22,but you IT DOSN’T come with the SCOPE if you order it in .22,it says it shoots a maximum of 800 fps in .22 cal.Oh well I may just buy a scope seperately or use the scope I have on my crosman 66 for it.B.B. I am surprised how good the gun is considering it sells for a little over $160!

By the way B.B.,I am very impressed with Pyramid Air.They are the only ones that sell this gun in .22.It is also $20 cheaper then all the sites I have checked.I also like how you only pay one shipping fee rather than a shipping fee for each product.So I can buy this gun with 4 tins of pellets without paying shipping,plus I get 1 free.Now if that isn’t a deal I dont know what is.The only place that I have seen with cheaper prices is Wal-mart but they only sell cheaper air guns.

Thats the thing.I now know how good the Legacy is thanks to you,otherwise I would have been guessing on accuracy and quality.Sometimes the advertised power that the manufacturer says is wrong.Because most folks who own guns don’t have chronographs to measure velocity eather.Even then,once you buy something you buy something.So to know what I am buying really helps alot.

The Mauri M 14 looks like a good combination of length and firepower for air soft (I once owned a SA M14 Supermatch) skirmishing. Any comment. Also what is your take on the AriForce micro meter tank. Would it benifit a backyard Condor user. When I talked to AirForce they said it was mainly for the Talon. I have been told that a heavier striker weight on my Condor would provide a bit more power and better consistancy ??

B.B. I was wondeting do you think the Crosman 0850 target trap will do fine with the Legacy?I will need it because I keep shottig through my fence sections.So the Legacy in .22 would do even more damage and keep on flying.So I definately need a trap that would suit the Legacy when I buy it.I am planning on ordering the gun soon.

I have the Crosman 850 pellet trap. I shoot at it with my 35 fpe PCP rifles so it will handle the Legacy just fine. Be sure to check the “balistic curtains” frequently to make sure that they are in good condition. Even though theese three pieces of “cloth” don’t look like much, they do a lot of the work stopping the pellet. Replace them when they’re shot up. Hope this helps.

As I am new to the pre charged rifle I do have more questions about my condor. I would like to put an 18″ barrel with Logun moderator for my in town back yard. Did I understand correctly that the MM tank wil provide the same power to Talon or Condor if barrel lenght is same?

I agree Crosman makes some great products at very affordable prices! I own several Crosman made rifles, pistols, and other miscellaneous acessories that wonderful items. Crosman has a perceived reputation, one that I think is different than the repution of either the Benjamin or Sheridan line.Crosman recognizes this, that is why they still keep the tradenames (Benjamin Sheridan).

I feel like I’m am asking the most simple-minded question ever posted, but I am new to spring piston airguns. I recently purchased an underlever, and I know I must eventually lubricate the compression chamber a little, but I don’t know what the compression chamber looks like, or where to find it. The gun’s instructions give no clear diagrams, either. They refer to something called the “air cylinder”. Is this the same as the chamber? Can someone help?

This is why I dislike the loose terminology of airgun manufacturers. It leads to confusion. The air cylinder (a VERY imprecise term) is the same as the compression chamber! It is the steel chamber that houses the piston.

The piston is what compresses the air for the pellet. Look at the graphic in this post:

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That’s what a compression chamber looks like in cross-section.

The chamber oil goes in through the transfer port. You may have an underlever that has a hidden transfer port, so just stand the rifle on its butt and drop the oil down the muzzle. Let it stand that way for several hours and the oil will run down through the transfer port and into the compression chamber.

I just bought the Legacy 1000 in .22 with 1450 pellets,a pellet holder(for single shot break barrels),a crosman 850 pellet trap,and Crosman cylicone oil.I bought a tin of Kodiak extra heavy pellets,so I will tell you if they do real good with the Legacy in .22 version or not when it ships in.I will need a decent scope first though before I really test out its true potential.But it will probably take till Friday for it to arrive.

I’ll second the Bug Buster II (second generation, 6x power) scope recomendation. Got one for a Chinese XS-B18 springer I’ve had for years that actually shoots rather well. For the money, I think its well made and works well. To me, it is a good compromise between the $25 scopes that aren’t worth $10 and a $150 plus scope that may be out of the beginner or average airgunner’s price range.

Right now I’m mulling over placing an order for a Umarex 850 AirMagnum with a B-square adjustible mount and a Bug Buster II.

That’s a neat picture, isn’t it? A photostrobe (flash unit with some adjustments) can pulse as fast as one fifty-thousandth of a second. If you connect a sound-activated trigger to your strobe unit and shine from overhead with a black background in a perfectly dark room, you can get a shot like this. The pellet travels about 0.004-inch during the exposure, which at internet resolution seems like nothing.

Set the camera on the fastest ASA setting (assuming digital) and start shooting. With some experimentation, this is possible.

I’ve been looking seriously at getting a new airgun. I remember my dad having several different airguns when I was a kid. He was a horse trader, and constantly bringing home different items. One was a .177 spring airgun of unknown origin, and another, I believe, was a .22 cal Benjamin 342. There was actually a local hardware store that had 2 of those sitting on a shelf over the cash register for years, but when I finally decided to go and buy them both, they were sold! [SNIFF] I presently have a Daisy pneumatic that still works great after almost 30 years of use. I’ve even thought about carving new wood foregrips and stock to replace the plastic ones. I think I’m going to spring for a Benjamin 392 when I get paid next week. My mom gave me some NOS tins of Crosman .22 Superpels after dad died. I missed out on the 342, and I don’t want the same thing to happen with the 392.

Well, if anybody else was wondering if you could remove the fiber optic sights from these guns (assuming it’s the same as the Quest 1000x and Legacy 1000), the answer is yes!

Removal of the rear sight is easy. Unscrew the height adjustment knob and then use a small phillips bit to remove the base from the gun.

The front sight is a bit more tricky. I’ve been looking at it since I pulled off the rear sight for my scope. It’s ugly, not useful, and did I mention it’s ugly? It is pressed on the knurled end of the barrel. I used some slip lock pliers, held the stock between my legs and turned till the sight broke free. There might be better ways to do it, but I had no idea how it was attached, so I was just being the guinea pig so to speak. I think there was a little epoxy involved too, FWIW.

According to my trusty calipers, the very end is 0.475″, the knurled diameter is 0.482″, the crown to barrel neck length is 0.625″, and the barrel outside diameter is 0.578″. Does anybody have any thoughts on if a beeman muzzle break would fit this rifle?

Tony,I still have my Benjamin 342 that I got as a kid in 1972. I have re-blued it and re did the wood and it looke great. 34 years and it still shoots great. My advice would be to get the 392 and hold on to it, they are great airguns!

I bought a benjamin legacy approx. 30 days ago. Very erratic from day one. Shot about 750 times before it broke. Will not make full stroke to cock. Has this been a problem with these rifles?Will be calling crosman tomorrow.Robert

Just thought folks might want to know that you can order a .22 barrel from Crosman. I converted my Legacy .177 last summer and it’s pretty accurate and consistent, at least out to 25-30 yds. It shoots at about 14-15 ft./lbs.. I also put it into a Genesis synthetic stock and find it much more easy to carry and use in the woods. I just sent it out to Bob at CharlieDaTuna for a Turbotune, which will make it even more accurate and fun to shoot. Thanks!

Shots don’t usually “drift”. Probably what is happening is you are changing your facial contact with the stock and therefore changing the parallax. Even scope with parallax adjustment still have some parallax in them and the spot-weld is very important to accuracy.

I assume you have run the scope adjustments all the way to the right and still cannot stay on target? If this is the case, you have relaxed the erector tube spring and the tube is bouncing around inside the scope tube.

To solve the problem, try switching the scope rings – front and back. If you had two-piece rings you could turn them around individually for more adjustment.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, you may need to switch to an adjustable scope mount: